Continuous doughnut-making machine

ABSTRACT

In a continuous doughnut-making apparatus including a dough developer, a pump for forwarding dough-making ingredients to and through the developer and a depositor for receiving developed dough from the developer and forming it into doughnut form, a device is provided for withdrawing samples of developed dough from the apparatus for example for testing or for use in making speciality items, the device providing the samples without interference with the normal operation of the apparatus and being arranged to return all unused dough to the apparatus when sampling is completed.

I Umted States Patent [15] 3,6 1 Schertz 51 Jan. 18, 1972 [54]CONTINUOUS DOUGHNUT-MAKING 1,854,148 4/1932 Hunter ..l07/14 E MACHINE2,663,478 12/1953 Jahn et al.... ..l07/28 x 2,915,992 12 1959 G'] ..l0714E [72] lnventor: Eugene P. Schertz, Wakefield, Mass. more I [73]Assignee: Dunkln' Donuts Incorporated, Quincy, Primary Examiner-James R.Boler Mass. Attorney-W. R. Hulbert [22] Filed: Apr. 8, 1970 ABSTRACT A N[21] ppl 0 26684 In a continuous doughnut-making apparatus including adough developer, a pump for forwarding dough-making in- [52] US. Cl ..42 5 2 Q0 lQ: 14 E: edients to and through the developer and a depositorfor [51] Int. Cl ..A2lc 11/16 eiving developed dough from the developerand forming it [58] Field Search "107/69, 54 29 into doughnut form, adevice is provided for withdrawing sam- 107/29 4 4 14 14 E ples ofdeveloped dough from the apparatus for example for testing or for use inmaking speciality items, the device provid- [56] Rekr'nces Cited ing thesamples without interference with the normal opera- UNn-ED STATESPATENTS tion of the apparatus and being arranged to return all unuseddough to the apparatus when sampling is completed. 1,506,232 8/1924Fleming ..l07/54 C 1,789,051 l/l931 Opitz 107/28 X 10 Claims, 4 DrawingFigures DOUGH IN l6 SAMPLE OUT PATEN T E uaAmm'z 3635.171

sum 1 or z DOUGH IN FIG 1 CONTINUOUS DOUGIINUT-MAKING MACHINE Thepresent invention relates to an apparatus for making doughnuts, and moreparticularly to a device for withdrawing samples of dough from theapparatus in a machine of this character which is continuous inoperation.

When doughnuts are cut from the dough by hand, as is common practice,the remaining scrap dough is useful for forming fancy or specialty itemsof other shapes than doughnut shape which are made by hand to thedesired special shape. In the continuous type of doughnut-making machinewith which the invention is concerned all of the dough is utilized formaking the doughnuts and there is no scrap available. Further, with sucha continuous machine it is advantageous for the operator to be able, ifhe wishes, to take a sample of the dough for testing purposes, forexample as an aid in the operation of the apparatus. The presentinvention provides a device for use with such continuous doughnut-makingapparatus which makes it possible for the operator conveniently to drawoff a desired quantity of the developed dough for such purposes asmaking of speciality or fancy items or for examination. This isaccomplished without interference with the normal operation of theapparatus and, further, when the desired sample has been obtained, thedevice returns all unused dough into the mainstream of dough beingprocessed without leaving in the device dough which might become sour orotherwise spoil and detract from the desired high level of sanitationwhich the apparatus affords.

An object of the invention is to provide a device for withdrawingsamples of developed dough from a continuous doughnut-making apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a sampling devicewhich will provide such samples while the machine is in normal operationwithout interference with such normal operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a sample withdrawingdevice which is highly sanitary.

A further object is to provide such a sampling device in which theamount of sample dough withdrawn can be accurately controlled by theoperator so that wasting of dough is avoided.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment ofthe invention in which reference is made to the accompanying drawingwherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus partly brokenaway;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a part of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the same apparatus; and,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same apparatus partly broken away and insection.

The invention provides a device for withdrawing samples of developeddough from a continuous doughnut-making apparatus which includes a doughdeveloper, a pump for advancing a mixture of dough-forming ingredientsto and through the developer and a depositor for forming dough issuingfrom the developer into doughnut form, the sample withdrawing devicecomprising a tube extending from the exterior of a wall of the apparatushaving developed dough adjacent its inner surface and having apassageway admitting such dough to the interior of the tube, a valveslideable inside the tube longitudinally thereof, said tube having anopening in the wall thereof adjacent to but spaced from its outer end, aplunger within said tube having its inner end connected to said valveand its outer end outside the outer end of said-tube, and a closuremember for the outer end of said tube having a central opening thereinfor receiving and guiding said plunger for moving said valve in saidtube between positions disposed inwardly of said opening and otherpositions disposed outwardly of said opening.

Referring now to the specific illustrative embodiment of the inventionshown in the drawing, FIG. 1 shows the general organization of theapparatus. and the relationship of the improvements of the inventionthereto. As shown the apparatus includes a developer indicated generallyat 2 in the form of a chamber 4 into which the undeveloped dough, ordough-making ingredients. are admitted through a pipe 6. Theingredients. including flour, water, yeast or baking powder areinitially mixed in a suitable mixing apparatus (not shown) from whichthey are continuously advanced through a pipe 8 by a pump 10 to the pipe6 which admits them to the developer. As apparatus for continuouslyprocessing dough making ingredients through the development stage forthe purpose of making bread is known in the art, as shown for example inthe Baker US. Pat. No. 2,953,460 of Sept. 20,1960, only so much of theapparatus as is necessary to show the relationship of the invention tothe developer has been shown. Inside the developer chamber 4 are a pairof paddles I2, 14 supported for rotation on horizontal shafts and drivenby a motor 16 through suitable reduction gearing 18. In the developerchamber 4 the dough-making ingredient, or dough, moves downwardly pastthe paddles 12, 14 and out of the chamber 4 through a passageway 20. Inthe chamber 4 the dough is worked by the paddles 12, 14 to a suitablydeveloped condition.

From the exit passageway 20 of the developer 2 the developed doughenters the chamber 22 of the depositor indicated generally at 24. In thechamber 22 the developed dough continues to be maintained under pressureby the pump 10. The developed dough leaves the depositor from its bottomin the form of rings in the general shape of doughnuts, ready to beproofed, if proofing is needed. For this purpose the depositor 24 isprovided with a pair of vertically moveable cutters or dies 26, 28. Thecutters 26, 28 are carried on stems 30, 32 respectively, which stems arevertically slideable in bearings 34, 36 in the upper wall of the chamberof the depositor 24. The stems 30, 32 are fixed at their upper ends in ayoke 38. The yoke 38 in turn is secured to the lower end of a piston rod40 having at its upper a piston (not shown) moving in a fluidpressurecylinder 42. The cylinder 42 and its piston are operated by suitablecontrols to reciprocate each of the cutters 26, 28 vertically between aposition within the opening in the bottom wall of the depositor 24, asshown in FIG. I, to a position below the opening, permitting doughunder-thepressure of pump 10 to issue through the openings in the formof a cylinder surrounding the die 26 or 28. As the die rises it cuts offthe cylinder of dough to form a ring 44 of dough generally in the shapeof a doughnut.

The rings 44 fall on a plate 46 of a suitable conveyor indicateddiagrammatically at 48 by which the rings are moved away from thedepositor, there being a series of successive plates 46 to receive thesuccessive rings as they are deposited by the depositor 24. It isapparent from the foregoing description that the apparatus converts allof the dough into doughnut rings so that there is no scrap dough leftover to be available for making special or fancy items as is the casewhen the dough is cut by hand. The invention provides means whereby suchextra dough can be obtained, conveniently and under sanitary conditions,when desired, by means of the device now to be described.

A cylindrical tube 50 is mounted as shown in FIG. 4 in a bore in thefront sidewall of the depositor chamber 24. A flange 52 fixed to thetube 50 lies flat against the outer surface of the depositor wall whenthe tube is fully seated in the bore and this flange is fastened to thedepositor 24 by removable cap screws 54 to detachably secure the tube 50in place. 0- rings 56 are provided to insure a tight :seal between thetube and the depositor. A counterbore S8 is located as shown in FIG. 4to provide communication between the interior of the chamber 22 of thedepositor and the interior of the tube 50 whereby the developed doughunder the pressure of the pump 10 may flow into the tube 50. An opening60 in the lower side of the tube 50 adjacent to but spaced from itsouter end provides an exit for the dough from the tube 50.

The tube 50 is provided at its outer end with a closure member 62detachably secured to the tube 50 in any suitable manner as by means ofthe spring clip 64, the O-ring 66 being provided to assure a tight sealbetween the closure member 62 and the tube 50. The closure member 62 isprovided with a central bore through which passes the plunger 68carrying on its inner end a valve 70 of the appropriate size and shapeto fit snugly against the interior surface of the tube 50 and to seat inthe valve seat provided by the counterbore 58, which may be providedwith cylindrical and conical portions as shown in FIG. 4. The plunger 68carries on its outer end, which lies exteriorly of the outer end of thetube 50, a suitable handle 72.

By means of the handle 72 the valve 70 may be moved to its extremeinward position, where it is tightly seated on the valve seat at 58, andmay be movedoutwardly in the tube 50 to a position between the opening60 and the closure member 62 to permit developed dough to issue from theopening 60. The central opening in the closure member 62 is providedwith internal threads 74 which cooperate with external threads 76 on theplunger 68. When the desired sample has been withdrawn, the valve 70 maybe moved toward its innermost position by pushing inward on the handle72 until the threads 76 engage with the thread 74 whereupon rotation ofthe handle 72 will close the valve 70 into its final seated position onthe valve seat at 58 and thereafter retain the valve in closed position.As the valve 70 moves to such closed position, it pushes all of thedough remaining within the tube 50 back into the interior of thedepositor 24 so that no dough is left in the tube 50 to become sour andcontaminate the dough during the next sampling operation. This featureis very important from the sanitation viewpoint. Further, the entireassembly of tube 50 valve 70 and its associated operating plunger 68 andhandle 72 may be readily removed from the apparatus when desired for thepurpose of cleaning. The removed assembly may be completely disassembledfor cleaning. When this assembly is removed, the valve seat at 58 isexposed so that it is readily accessible for cleaning purposes.

Accordingly, by means of the device of the invention the operator mayobtain a sample at any time he wants and of whatever quantity is desiredby a very simple operation which does not interfere with the normalcontinuous operation of the doughnut making apparatus. This result isachieved with apparatus which is simple, sanitary and reliable and whichdoes not introduce hazard of spoiled sample dough being returned intothe apparatus.

What is claimed is:

1. In a continuous doughnut-making apparatus including a doughdeveloper, a pump for advancing a mixture of doughforming ingredients toand through the developer, and a depositor for forming dough issuingfrom the developer into doughnut form, in combination with saiddeveloper a device for withdrawing samples of developed dough comprisinga tube extending from the exterior of a wall of the apparatus havingdeveloped dough adjacent its inner surface, and having a passagewayadmitting such dough to the interior of said tube, a valve slideableinside said tube longitudinally thereof, said tube having an opening inthe wall thereof adjacent but spaced from its outer end, a plungerwithin said tube having its inner end connected to said valve and itsouter end outside the outer end of said tube, and a closure member forthe outer end of said tube having a central opening therein forreceiving and guiding said plunger for moving said valve in said tubebetween positions disposed inwardly of said opening and other positionsdisposed outwardly of said opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a valve seat on saidapparatus adjacent the inner end of said tube on which said valve seatsin its innermost position.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said tube is detachable from andattachable to the apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said closure member is provided withmeans cooperating with means on said plunger for maintaining saidplunger in its innermost position.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said closure member is removablefrom and attachable to said tube.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said tube is mounted on a wall ofthe depositor.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said tube is detachable from andattachable to the apyaratus.

8. The apparatus of claim wherein said closure member IS provided withmeans cooperating with means on said plunger for maintaining saidplunger in its innermost position.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said closure member is removablefrom and attachable to said tube.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said tube is mounted on a wall ofthe depositor.

i III 4!

1. In a continuous doughnut-making apparatus including a doughdeveloper, a pump for advancing a mixture of dough-forMing ingredientsto and through the developer, and a depositor for forming dough issuingfrom the developer into doughnut form, in combination with saiddeveloper a device for withdrawing samples of developed dough comprisinga tube extending from the exterior of a wall of the apparatus havingdeveloped dough adjacent its inner surface, and having a passagewayadmitting such dough to the interior of said tube, a valve slideableinside said tube longitudinally thereof, said tube having an opening inthe wall thereof adjacent but spaced from its outer end, a plungerwithin said tube having its inner end connected to said valve and itsouter end outside the outer end of said tube, and a closure member forthe outer end of said tube having a central opening therein forreceiving and guiding said plunger for moving said valve in said tubebetween positions disposed inwardly of said opening and other positionsdisposed outwardly of said opening.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 furtherincluding a valve seat on said apparatus adjacent the inner end of saidtube on which said valve seats in its innermost position.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said tube is detachable from and attachableto the apparatus.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said closuremember is provided with means cooperating with means on said plunger formaintaining said plunger in its innermost position.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 4 wherein said closure member is removable from and attachable tosaid tube.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said tube is mounted on awall of the depositor.
 7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said tube isdetachable from and attachable to the apparatus.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 7 wherein said closure member is provided with means cooperatingwith means on said plunger for maintaining said plunger in its innermostposition.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said closure member isremovable from and attachable to said tube.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9wherein said tube is mounted on a wall of the depositor.